Find out how popular the last name Traverse is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Traverse.

Traverse, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Traverse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Traverse in America

Traverse is the 39281st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Traverse surname appeared 560 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Traverse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Traverse to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Traverse

The surname Traverse originated in France, specifically in the northern region of Normandy, during the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "traverser," meaning "to cross over" or "to traverse." This likely referred to someone who lived near a river crossing or bridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. It lists a landowner named Robert Travers in Gloucestershire.

In the 12th century, the surname was also found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, where a Robert Travers was mentioned as a landholder. During this period, the name was often spelled as Travers or Trauers, reflecting the variations in spelling common at the time.

Notable individuals with the surname Traverse include:

1. Sir John Traverse (c. 1340 - 1409), an English knight and landowner from Yorkshire.
2. Guillaume Traverse (1580 - 1645), a French explorer and colonist who settled in present-day Quebec, Canada.
3. Edmund Traverse (1592 - 1670), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote several theological works.
4. Jean-Baptiste Traverse (1722 - 1787), a French architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Paris.
5. Marie-Louise Traverse (1801 - 1878), a French novelist and poet who wrote under the pseudonym Marie Aycard.

The name Traverse is also linked to various place names, such as Travers in Normandy, France, and Travers City in Michigan, United States. These places likely derived their names from early settlers or landowners with the surname Traverse.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Traverse

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Traverse.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Traverse was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Traverse has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Traverse was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Traverse, please contact us.

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